How To Disable Web Notifications

Interruptions on the internet take many forms—pop-up windows, video ads, page overlays, and of course, browser notifications.

- Chandra Steele

Pop-ups are largely seen as a nuisance—they sit atop the web page you’re reading, with an ad, video, or message—but in moderation, notifications have their benefits.

Notifications appear in your browser: An invitation drops down from the URL bar to ask whether a website can use your location or send you notifications. Autoplay videos are usually sent from specific websites and interrupt your browsing experience. Push notifications are sent from specific services—such as Slack, Twitter, and Facebook—and temporarily display over whatever window you have open. Luckily, major browser makers have tools to make certain alerts less invasive. Here’s what you need to know to keep these notifications and pop-ups in check.

CHROME

Navigate to Settings in Chrome via the three-dot menu, then select Advanced > Privacy and Security > Site Settings > Notifications. Here, Google recommends you keep Ask Before Sending enabled, but that means every time a website wishes to send you a notification, you’ll get a pop-up message asking for your approval. Instead, click the slider on the right and it will read Blocked, which will eliminate all notifications.